Eviction filings in Maine were up by more than 16% last year, according to Maine court records.
Nearly 5,800 eviction cases were filed in 2023, most often due to nonpayment of rent. In 2022 more than 4,900 eviction cases were filed.
Katie McGovern, managing attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance, attributes much of the problem to the end of rental assistance programs offered during the pandemic.
"When people had fallen significantly behind in their rent and there were no resources available, it was difficult or impossible to resolve those cases in a way to allow those tenants to stay in their housing," she said.
McGovern said even in cases where they're able to work out agreements where tenants have time to look for their next home, that has proven to not be enough time because there are so few affordable housing units available.
She said some evicted tenants become unhoused, and even those with jobs cannot sustain rental payments that exceeded well over 30% of their income.
*Correction: The number of eviction filings through 2023 was 5,794, a 16.7% increase over the 4,965 filings in 2022.
